The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Sunlight drives away darkness and deficiency too Health & Lifestyle

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Tuesday, Oct 07, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Sunlight drives away darkness and deficiency too Health & Lifestyle

M. Dinesh Varma

Vitamin D deficiency causes serious implications for infants

The problem is confined to affluent women who avoid exposure to the sun
Hormonal deficiencies can stun physical and mental growth and inhibit other functions

CHENNAI: Air-conditioned homes, sunscreen lotions and beach umbrellas are much more than symbols of people living it up. These markers of urban lifestyle are raising concern in an unexpected quarter– the consultation room of paediatricians.

Women who are shutting sunlight out of their lifestyle are turning deficient in Vitamin D. And the trait is passed on to their babies with often serious health implications, say doctors at the Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital.

Infants of mothers who are deficient in Vitamin D are more prone to seizures because of plummeting calcium levels, said K. G. Ravikumar, who heads the paediatric endocrinology division at CHILDS Trust Hospital.

Interestingly, the problem was confined to affluent women who avoided exposure to the sun.

Vitamin D deficiency is seen these days as more of an endocrinal issue than a malnutritional problem, Dr. S. Balasubramanian points out. In an emphatic opinion shift, clinicians worldwide now regard Vitamin D as a vital hormone rather than merely a nutrient.

Vitamin D assumes greater importance because of its intricate interplay with other hormones such as parathyroid and calcium. Therefore, a primary deficit can trigger impairment of the other hormones.

Natural light essential

The solution could not get simpler: take in natural morning sunlight for some time. The bottom line is that no amount of vitamin supplements can substitute the wondrous quality of sunlight.

Hormones are the vital triggers for a child to grow normally. Different hormones determine the growth at various phases. Insulin and thyroid are all-important for newborns while at subsequent stages, growth hormones and thyroid become critical.

Hormonal deficiencies can stun physical and mental growth and inhibit a host of other functions from blossoming to potential.

Though metabolic disorders also inhibit growth, they have more to do with enzymes, it is pointed out.

Hormonal equilibrium

At the other end of the spectrum is the problem with excess hormone levels that lead to over-sized growth. As with children who are short in stature, those who are too large for their age too can develop emotional distress and self-esteem issues, doctors said.

They point out that hormonal equilibrium cannot be ascertained from a simple blood test. As hormones are continuously secreted at different rates, only dynamic testing can indicate the peak value– a benchmark for normalcy.

The standard methods of clinically evaluating growth disorders in children are regularly plotting the weight and height of the child besides monitoring eating patterns.

X-ray scanning of the non-dominant wrist (left arm for right-handed people and vice-versa) has also become a gold standard for diagnosing growth disorders, as each of the eight bones that form the wrist provides a fair estimation of development.

Hormone therapy can be expensive– around Rs.3 lakh a year– and will have to be continued for a minimum of two years and ideally till the child reaches the age of 12. Not all hormonal deficits require therapy, says Dr. Ravikumar.

In children whose hormone secretion is only delayed, clinicians usually refrain from therapy.

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